I'm about to leave for my first prenatal appointment with Dr. R. She had said when I first met her that she might try to hear the heartbeat at this visit, but at 9w4d I think it might be too early. It sure would be nice, though. I'd hate to have a visit go by with no reassurance that everything's OK in there.

Wish me luck!

Update: Yay for a boringly normal appointment! Have I mentioned how much I love these doctors? I had a long intake session with the nurse, who answered all my questions thoroughly; then she tried to hear the heartbeat with the doppler. She tried for a long time and wasn't getting anything, but she had reassured me that it might be too early. Strangely, I wasn't really nervous. After about five minutes she gave up and said that Dr. R would try again when she came in.

Dr. R came in and did all the normal poking and prodding and said that my uterus was perfectly on track size-wise. Then she, too, tried the doppler, and after about five minutes of pressing hard, she found the heartbeat. It was hard for me to hear at first - definitely not the clear, loud, "whoof-whoof-whoof" I was used to hearing with Joseph - but she said that was because it was early. She estimated the rate at 160 and said that was great.

In two weeks I go back for the Early Risk Assessment, which is a blood test combined with that new nuchal translucency ultrasound. I'm looking forward to getting another look at the Pad. Other than that, though, Dr. R. says I can be on the normal prenatal visit schedule, so my next "real" visit is in four weeks.

I think I'm starting to believe this is really going to happen.